About Flagpole. (Athens, Ga.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 31, 2011)
CONTACT US AT P.O. BOX 1027, ATHENS, GA 30603, LEnERS@FLAGPOLE.COM OR VIA THE “TALK BACK TO US” LINK AT FLAGPOLE.COM OFFENDED BY PICTURE My husband and I recently visited Athens last week and received a copy of your Flagpole Guide to Athens 2011-2012. We were both very offended by the photo in the middle of pp. 8 and 9. It is neither inviting nor polite, and I do hope you will have it removed as it does not promote a positive image of your town or the school's sportsmanship. Linda & Robert Toney Email A WORD FROM ATHICA Keeping a nonprofit arts organization afloat during these uncertain economic times truly takes broad public support. Athens Institute for Contemporary Art is fortunate to have earned that backing—both locally and nationally. Locally, ATHICA is currently run ning a fundraising exhibition, called ATHICA "Mystery Triennial" (AMT), and its opening night last Saturday drew a terrific response— both in attendance and in purchase donations. Funds generated by the sale of local artists' donated work will help pay for the nonprofit gallery's operating expenses: rent, phone/dsl and the like. ATHICA has become the place in Athens to see provocative and exciting con temporary art, largely due to the talents and tireless efforts of its founding director, Lizzie Zucker Saltz. ATHICA mainly functions through the efforts of volunteers, but it's Lizzie who beats the drum and single-handedly keeps it going. For years, she worked without compensa tion and still only draws a tiny fraction of what such a position of responsibility would demand in Atlanta or elsewhere. ATHICA is a vital asset of this art community and after 40 engaging shows over the past decade, we, the Board of Directors of ATHICA, are indebted to her for her vision, persistence and sacrifice in fulfilling it. We put on AMT to start the slow process of growing this organization so it can continue to operate for decades to come. We want to thank Lizzie for her dedicated service and to thank everyone who has volunteered or con tributed art over the years and for this event. This tangible support is a real boost for our small, but important, contemporary art gallery. John W. English for the ATHICA board Athens A GEORGIA HERO Ray Anderson is one of the heroes of our state. Sadly, he died recently. If you did not know about him, you should. He was CEO of a global, billion-dollar company called Interface, founded right here in Georgia. At a time when our state is yearning for a new brand of eco nomic development, every business person, college professor and student should learn and be inspired from his example. He proved through theory, formula and practice if you put people and the environment first, you actually make more money, not less. When you talk with executives about environmental concerns, they often say it's just too expensive and that you have to make a choice between profits and the environment. I know that phrase all too well. The thing is, environmental groups can talk all day, and often not much gets through, but when an industry leader talks and proves that you can turn a polluting company around profitably they lis ten. G.E., Walmart, etc., were listening to Ray Anderson. That was the key: he was one of them, or so it seemed. Paul Hawken eloquently pointed out in his eulogy that Ray looked like a conservative Southern gentleman whose gentle nature made it easier for people to take in new ideas, even radical ideas. He once told a large audience of college educators they were teaching their students to destroy the Earth, and he got a standing ovation. Paul Hawken's book, The Ecology of Commerce, inspired Anderson to turn his com pany around from a massive polluting machine to a corrective, restorative one. He believed we will never have a substantial change to our environment for the good unless big busi ness gets on board. He saw industrialists like himself as the biggest polluters and the only institution powerful enough and wealthy enough to change it. Mr. Anderson, who was an engineer, stated that changing people's attitudes towards green manufacturing was often more difficult than inventing the new technology to do it. His colleagues thought he had lost his mind and that the company's profits would spiral, but they didn't; the com pany actually made more money. He became known as the greenest CEO in America and won numerous global awards, but not for just environmental concerns. His company was often considered one of the best companies to work for in America because he cared about people. In fact, if you look on the Interface website right now, there is a picture of Mr. Anderson, and it reads, "Our adored chairman." So, it turns out that the folks at Interface were working with a pioneer, perhaps the leader of the new industrial revolution. Ray Anderson wrote some great books, and you should read them. He was one of Georgia's brightest stars and one of our great est business minds. He worked under the equation that our lives are what's most important, with a bowing respect for all living things. John Sibley called it love, like noth ing he had ever seen before. Ray Anderson proved you can change a polluting, billion- dollar global company (carpet making is a toxic, nasty business)—make it sustainable and more profitable—and he did it through practice, not marketing. In fact, he loathed corporate "greenwashing," which he defined as "letting words get ahead of deeds." His success won him the attention of corporate heads, U.S. presidents and world leaders. I wish the story of this Georgia native was a headline in every Georgia newspaper, to serve as an inspiration to our economic develop ment and honor his legacy. What he accom plished was astonishing, and it's our challenge to follow. "We are all part of the continuum of humanity and life. We will have lived our brief span and either helped or hurt that continuum and the Earth that sustains all life. It's that simple. Which will it be?"—Ray Anderson Katherine Kirbo Athens A BOATLOAD OF THANKS So nice to see a canoeist on the cover of your June 15 issue! You should know how happy the Paddle Georgia paddlers were when they arrived in town to see Flagpole featuring the river so prominently. Richard Milligan's article in that issue captured the spirit of river travel and the passion behind Paddle Georgia well. On behalf of the board and staff at Georgia River Network, I'd like to thank Flagpole and everyone in Athens who made our paddlers feel at home for their stay here in town this summer. Our participants had a great time paddling the Middle Oconee and Oconee rivers and enjoying the sights, sounds and tastes of Athens. Georgia River Network thanks the Athens- Clarke Convention & Visitor's Bureau, Big Dog's on the River, Clarke Central High School, Athens Downtown Development Authority, the State Botanical Garden of Georgia, UGA's Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, Griffeth-Jones Partners, Gilbert Milner, Friends of Scull Shoals, Celestea Sharp, Russ Page, Lisa O'Steen, Stream Techs, Half-Moon Outfitters, Broad River Outpost, - Barberitos, Bee Natural, Earth Fare, DePalma's Italian Cafe, Jackson Spalding, The National, Jeremy Tarver and the many other local volun- • teers who helped us get organized, get around dams and get downriver from Athens. Thank you for making our paddlers' stay in Athens a good one! April Ingle Georgia River Network Executive Director Athens BUMPERSTICKER OF THE WEEK: Bom to Rock Forced to Work Thanks, Ben. Send your sticker sightings to letters@flagpole.com. DAUGHiTiERtS BQUUlILliJ 458 E. Clayton St. 706-543-4454 Mon-Sat ll-7pm Sun 12-6pm Why go TC\iN v < when YOU CAN T4U)NUI)Cm0l>0llTflN 4 FLAGP0LE.COM-AUGUST 31,2011
